NBC and CBS are delivering something all but unprecedented before the end of the 2019-2020 TV season with a crossover between their Dick Wolf shows Chicago P.D. and FBI. Tracy Spiridakos is jumping from the Peacock Network over to CBS for FBI's Season 2 finale, and she will be playing her P.D. character. What Upton will be up to on FBI remains to be seen, but her appearance on FBI has already been confirmed. Take a look:
While Chicago P.D. regularly crosses over with Chicago Fire and Chicago Med on NBC and FBI and FBI: Most Wanted just aired their first two-part crossover event on CBS, the shows on the different networks never shared characters or plots. Just as Dick Wolf TV shows have set records and expanded remarkably across the small screen, they'll now connect across two competing major broadcast networks.
Talk of a crossover between the NBC and CBS shows did begin to circulate back in the summer of 2019, although characters from the New York-set Law & Order: SVU seemed more likely to cross over with FBI (also set in New York) than anybody from One Chicago. Rick Eid, who is the showrunner of both Chicago P.D. on NBC and FBI on CBS, spoke with CinemaBlend about both shows at the launch of the 2019-2020 TV season.
When I asked about the possibility of the shows crossing over, Rick Eid said this:
If the stars were to align, we would be open to the possibility of the two-network crossover... I think P.D. would be a good fit. I think probably Law & Order: SVU would be a good fit as well.
The stars apparently aligned, because Hailey Upton will be working with at least OA on FBI! The only real bad news here is that neither NBC nor CBS has spilled details about what to expect. The FBI Twitter account confirmed that Tracy Spiridakos' guest appearance on March 31 will be the Season 2 finale with no news of what the finale will actually be about.
Fortunately, Dick Wolf weighed in on Tracy Spiridakos' jump from Chicago P.D. to FBI for the guest appearance via Wolf Entertainment:
Tracy's character is a fan favorite, and I'm extraordinarily happy to be shining an even greater light on her and gaining new fans along the way before her return to Chicago P.D.
The crossover between the two shows on the two different networks could be advantageous for both. If Chicago P.D. fans follow Upton over to FBI, FBI could get a ratings boost from One Chicago viewers who hadn't yet checked out the Dick Wolf offerings on CBS. If Hailey brings some FBI fans back with her to Chicago P.D., that could be a boost for P.D.
So, why is Upton heading to FBI in New York? The answer to that question lies in the end of the March 25 episode of Chicago P.D. Spoilers ahead for the latest episode of Chicago P.D., called "Lines."
In Chicago P.D.'s March 25 episode, Upton finally crossed one too many lines for Voight's taste, and his solution was to select her as the Intelligence cop who would join the FBI field office in New York for an assignment for a few weeks. In theory, a stint at the FBI would push Upton back over to the straight and narrow. End Chicago P.D. spoilers.
Find out what's in store for the first-ever crossover between Chicago P.D. and FBI, which effectively joins three NBC shows and two CBS shows into one television universe, when the FBI Season 2 finale airs Tuesday, March 31 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. While it's not quite a multi-parter like P.D.'s recent event with Chicago Fire or FBI's crossover with FBI: Most Wanted, it's a very big first step between two competing networks. Honestly, is there anything on TV that Dick Wolf can't do?
News of the crossover may come as some relief to fans of both shows saddened by the early ends to their seasons due to the coronavirus. Dick Wolf's shows on both networks (which includes Law & Order: SVU as well as One Chicago and FBI/FBI: Most Wanted) won't finish their full episode orders for the 2019-2020 TV seasons, and they're definitely not the only ones.
